Fluid valve



ay 27, 1924. v1,4;,9155161 O. J. MOUSSETTE FLUID VALVE I Filed Feb. 17 1921 Patented May 27, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,495,161 PATENT OFFICE. 1

OLIVER J'. MOUSSETTE, 0F RICHMOND HILL, NEW YO'RK.

FLUID VALVE.

Application led February 17, 1921, Serial No. 445,750.

To all whom t may concern.'i i

Be it known that I, OLIvER J. MoussETTE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond Hill, Long Island, in the county4 housing adapted to screw into the top of a' tank and embodying a sealing member normally held to its seat mechanically by 'a spring, and, also, by the pressure of the gas within the tank. With the valve-housing is further associated means to unseat the valve at desired times to allow of the exit of the gas. The means usually employed embodies a hand wheel provided with a threaded stem,

which may operate upon the valve directly or through a follower, so that when the hand wheel is rotated, the valve is'either forced from its seat against the pressure of the spring and gas or permitted to .return to its seat, depending upon the direction of rotationI of the hand wheel.

In valves of this character, the sealing lmembers are usually ground to a tight seat or otherwise so constructed as to effect a practically tight seal. However, consider'- able difficulty has been experienced in precluding the leakage of gas out of the valve casing during the times that the sealing member is unseated and while gas is being drawn off from the tank. The problem of stopping this leakage has been a diiiicult one, because of the necessity of packing a number of movable parts through the use of glands, washers, stuffing boxes, etc., which are apt to wear out or deteriorate through use. The tendency in the art has been to increase the fixed packing or to improve upon its construction, and while leakage has, in this way, been considerably cut down, I do not know of a single valve on the market wherein leakage is not prevalent.

With the foregoing considerations in mind, the object of the present invention *n is a valve which will positively eliminate the leakage referred to. This is accomplished by providing a' rubber sleeve which, when the valve is seated, andthe tank sealed, preferably lies inoperative within the valve'casing. However', when the sealing member is unseated, the sleeve is automaticallyl compressed in one direction and expanded in another, whereby it serves to fill juxtaposed recesses on opposite sides of thejoint through which leakage is apt to occur and,

in so doing, forms a tight seal to precludesuch leakage.

In the preferred construction, the sleeve 'is made tubular andof rubber and embraces the operating member which acts upon the sealing member of the valve. Annular channels areformed in juxtaposed portions of the operating member and the interior of theV valve casing, so that when the hand wheel is operated to open the valve, the operating member is simultaneously depressed, places the rubber sleeve under pressure and compresses it to suoli extent as to cause it to bulge out in lateral directions and entirely fill the channels, so vlthat leakage in the direction of the handwheel is positively precluded. f

Features of the invention, othery than those specified, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one practical embodiment of the present invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understoodl as illustrative, only, and not as defining' the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 isa central section of a valve embodying the present invention, showing the sealing member seated.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the sealing member unseated.

Figures-3 and 4 are sections on the lines 3-3 4and 4-4, respectively, of Figures 1 and 2. .1 v

Figure 5 is a plan 'view of the sealing member of the valve; and,

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 o Figure 1. i

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the casing of a valve, provided at its lower end with a threaded portion 2 adapted to be screwed into the tank. Intermedlate its ends, the casing has a threaded boss 3 constituting the outlet of the valve and adapted to receive a suitably threaded connection or coupling. The lower portion of the casing is hollowed out and provides an interior shoulder 4 forming a seat for a sealing member 5, which is normally held to such sea-t by a spring 6, backed up by a screw plug 7, threaded into the bottom of the valve casing. The sealing member 5 has a stem 8 which is guided in a passagev 9 and this passage has a branch duct- 10. `When the sealing member is unseated, fluid is permitted to flow apass the sealing member, through passage .9, and through the outlet passage 10 to a draw off pipe (not shown) ada ted to be associated with the boss 3.

e, upper portion of the valve casing is hollowed out and is closed by a screw plug 11, which may be screwed down tight on the casing 1, Without. washers or gaskets. Holes 11@L are provided to permitof the use of a Spanner wrench in seating or removing the plug. The lower portion of the plug 11 has a chamber formed therein of polygonal cross section shownas hexagonal, and into this chamber projects the correspondingly shaped portion 13a of a follower 13. 'lhe follower is thus secured against rotation to the plug l1, but is mounted for reciprocation longitudinally of theivalve casing, under the impulse of a hand wheel 14.

rlhe hand wheel 14 is provided with a stem 15 mounted for rotation in the plug 11 and precluded from withdrawal by a collar 16,

beneath which the stem has a threaded part 17. The threaded part 17 projects into a threaded socket in the follower, so that as the hand wheel is rotated, the follower will be shifted longitudinally of the axis of such rotation. ln practice the threads of the part 17 are preferably right handed. for reasons hereinafter explained. The follower 13 embodies two portions which are integral with one another` the upper or enlarged portion 13a of the follower may he termed the head, while the lower or depending smal-ler portion of the follower may be termed the operating projection and is designated by reference numeral 1S.

When the hand wheel 14 is operated, and the follower reciprocated as described, the lower end of the operating projection 18 is adapted for ycooperation with the upper end of the stem 8 of the sealing member. so that through rotation of the hand wheel` the seating or unseating of the sealing member may be controlled. When the sealing member is unseated, and gas is flowing through the channel 9 and outletl channel 10, leakage is very apt to occur in an upward direction and around the follower and stem 15 of the hand wheel, and itis to obviate this leakage that the present invention is particularly intended. 'lhis end is accomplished by forming a shoulder 19 in the interior of the valve casing above the outlet channel 1() and a coacting shoulder 20 on the follower, and by positioning a rubber sleeve or ring 21 around the operating projection 1S of the follower.

portion of the operating projection housed within the rubber sleeve is preferably circumferentially channelled as at 22, and the interior of the valve casing directly surrounding the sleeve is also similarly formed as at 23.

When the sealing member 5 is in normal seated position and the tank associated with the valve, sealed thereby, the parts arel as shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, from which it will be noted that the rubber sleeve or ring lies inoperative within the valve casing. However, when it is desired to open 4 or unseal the tank, the hand wheel 14 is rotated to effect longitudinal movement of the follower 13 and move this operating projection 18 into engagement with the stem of the sealing member 5. Continued rotation of the hand wheel will manifestly effect an unseating of the sealing member, thereby permitting the flow of gas through the valve. As the follower is forced down, under the impulse of the hand wheel and stem 15 to unseat the sealing member, considerable pressure will be applied to the rubber sleeve 21, so that it will be compressed vand bnlged out, both interiorly and exteriorly, and by the time that the sealing member is fully unseated, the bnl ing ofthe sleeve will have progressed to suc 1 extent that it will entirely lill the annular channels 22 and 23, and in this manner form a tight seal against the leakage of gas upwardly through the valve casing.

ALs-soon as the sealing member is allowed to reseat through retrograde rotation of the hand wheel, the rubber sleeve 21 will return to the position of `lFigure 1, and itselastic qualities will permit of the reoccurrence of the operations described through an indefi-y nite period. However, should the rubber sleeve so wear, and a new one be advisable, it may readily be installed by merely screwing out the plug 11 and replacing a new sleeve for the one which is worn out.

It has hereinbefore been noted that the threaded part 17 of the stem of the hand wheel is preferably formed with a right hand thread, the purpose of which is to enable the hand wheel to be rotated in directions for opening and closing the valve as are common in the valve, art generally. llt is usual in valves to turn a hand wheelto the right to shut off the valve and to the left to open the valve. lf the screw threaded portion 17 were left handed, the turning of the hand wheel to the right would effect an unseating of the sealing member while the turning of the hand Wheel to the left would effect a seating ofthe sealing member, or an operation just the opposite to that common in valves. As this would lead to mistakes the operations of the hand wheel, the hexagonal portion of the follower will'l at all times occupy the hexagonal chamber in the base of the screw plug 11, which will preclude the rotation of thefollower and translate rotary movement of the hand wheel into reciprocating movement of the valve for the fulfillment of the functions specified.

, "In the accompanying drawings, the valve 'is shown as embodying a suitable fuse 24 to release the pressure in the event of fire in the -locality of the tank with which the valve is associated, butl this fuse forms no part of the present invention.

When the ring or sleeve of rubber or equivalent materlal is employed in valve construction, for the purpose of producing a tight seal in the manner specified, the employment of additional gaskets, washers and other expedients' are rendered unnecessary, and, moreover, the lonly parts which require accurate machinin are the valve seat and the valve or .'seallng member. This construction greatly economizes the manufacturing of valves and enables'their production without precision and in an economical and eicient manner, not before possible in valve construction for controlling'fluids under pressure. The valve of the present invention is unusually simple in construction and will, withal, be entirely eicient and practical in its operation.

I am aware that in practice, valves embodyin the present invention may be constructed wherein details of structure may be varied from those shown in the drawings, and, accordingly, the presentA invention is not to be understood as limited to the precise details shown. I consider the invention -as broadly novel asis commensurate with the appended claims. i

It may be noted in lconclusion, -that the `changing or renewing of the rubber sleeve member 5 is automatically seated by the pressure in the tank as soon as the follower is retracted, thereby enabling the removal of the screw plug and follower without releasing the pressure.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by-Letters Patent is:

' 1. A- valve embodying a valve casing, a sealing member positioned within the valve casing for normally precluding the ilow of Huid therethrough, `manually operable means separate from butv adapted to engage with the sealing member for unseating the sealing member, and compressible means positioned in a chamber surrounding the manually operable means but not entirely lilling such chamber, said compressible means being free from attachment either to the valve casing or the unseating means for the sealing member and the manually operable means being adapted to compress the compressible means simultaneously with the unseating of the sealing member to cause the compressible means to entirely fill said chamber and form a vtight gasket for precluding leakage of luld from the valve casing. y

`2. A valve embodying a casing, a sealing member positioned therein for normally precluding' the iow f fluid through the casing, a manually operable member free from attachment with the sealing lnember and mounted for reciprocation within the casing toward and away from the sealing member for the purpose of forcing the sealing member from its seat or permitting the sealing member to seat, an annular member of elastic material loosely positioned in a chamber surrounding the manually operable member and formed partly in the wall of the valve casing and partly in the manually operable member, said elastic member being adapted to be compressed and fill said chamber when the Vmanually operable member is actuated to unseat the sealing member for the purpose of forming a tight packing andA precluding leakage of fluid from the valve casing.

3. A valve embodying a casing,`a sealing member positioned therein for normally precluding the flow of fluid through the casing, a manually operable member provided with a shoulder andmovable toward and away from the sealingm'ember to unseat the sealing member or to permit of the seating thereof, la chamber surrounding a portion of the manually operable member, and an annulus of elastic material positioned within the chamber and engaging with the shoulder of the manually operable member, whereby when the manually operable member is moved to unseat the sealing member, the elastic annulus is compressed and caused -to entirely fill the chamber in which is it'positioned', thereby precluding` the leakage of uid from the valve casing.

4. A' valve embodying a casing, a sealing member associated therewith for normally y precluding the How of fluid through the casing, a follower' positioned within the casing, and adapted to engage with the sealing member, a manually/operable member hav. ing threaded connection with the follower and adapted, when rotated, \to impart reciprocatin to the follower for the purpose of forcing the v sealing member from its seat t or for permitting the sealing member to seat, an annular chamber formed partially within the interior of the valve casing and partially in the follower, and an annular lnember of rubber positioned within the any nular chamber and between a shoulder-on the follower and a shoulder in the casing, whereby reciprocation `of the follower in' a direction to unseat the sealing member serves to place the rubber annulus under compression, whereby it is bulged out and entirely fills the chamber to preclude leakage of fluid therefrom.

5. A valve embodying a\casing, a sealing member associated with the casing for nor` mally precluding they passage of fluidv mamar right hand screw thread formed in the follower and adapted to be manually rotated for the purpose of imparting reciprocating movement tothe follower, whereby rotation of the ope-rating stem in a counterclockwise.

direction will effect the unseating of the sealing member, while rotation of the operating stem in a clockwise direction will permit the seating of the sealing member, and a rubber annulus seated in an annular chamber formed partially in the Valve casing and partially in the follower with one end of the chamber formed in the follower engaging one end of the annulus and with the op posite end of the chamber formed in the casing engaging the opposite end of the annulus so that the annulus will be bulged4 out to lll the chamber and form a tight seal rto preclude leakage apass the stem when the follower is operated to unseat the sealing member.

lln testimony whereof, l have signed my name to this specification.

@HIVER J. MOUSSETTE. 

